Fresh Water

[Me.Bikes.Dogs]

Hi All,

A question for those that travel a lot and normally connect to an outside water source...

1. Do you keep water in your fresh water holding tank?
2. If so, how much?
3. Do you pull with water in your fresh water tank?
4. Do you use water fresheners?

I have dogs so I keep about 1/4 in my fresh water tank so I can give them fresh water while traveling. And just in case I can't find a decent stopover park and boondock for the night. What do you do?

[hankpage]

Kent, I usually travel with between 1/4 to 1/3 fresh water. Mostly for pit stops and over-nighting in rest areas. With a rear kitchen model it also takes some of the bounce out of the ride. I drain it when we get to hook-ups and refill when traveling. No fresheners, I sanitize with bleach twice a year. We don't drink it (bottled water on the road and filter at CG) so a little chlorine smell isn't bad, but I don't think the pups would like it. JM2¢, Hank

[GMcKenzie]

Depends on the length of the trip. Short hauls to local sites, I'll fill up at home. Most local sites don't have easy access to water (no services) so it's easier.

Longer trips I pull close to empty and fill up and the dump station when I get there. Just gas see wasting fuel carrying the water.

I bring a water cooler for drinking water. Fill it at home where the water is filtered and is good.

[Jim W]

Kent,
My fresh water holding tank are always dry, I never carry any water in the fresh water tank. To me this is extra weight, I do not need to haul at 8.35 lbs for a gallon of water this adds up fast.
We travel with three one gallon jugs and 2 2-1/2 gallon jugs of fresh water in the camper and use this for coffee and drinking. This will last us a week usually. When empty we make a run to a local grocery store that sells water in a dispenser, to fill up the jugs.
We do hook up to camp ground water with a filter, but this is just for washing dishes, bathing and the toilet.
The reason we do this is when we first started to camp over 36 years ago with our children. They became deathly sick once with dysentery from a camp ground water source. Since then we have always brought bottle water from home.
Jim W.

[Outbackmel]

Do exactly the same as Jim for the same reasons. We were NOT sick, but being seasoned international travelers, know how easy it is to find contaminated water. Why chance it?!

[chuck&gail]

We also travel with about 1/4 tankful. Good for lunch and pitstops. Also as you say to fill dogs water dish.

In our case we pull a toyhauler, so water is ALSO important to get tongue weight at 13% with toys aboard.

[campingcpl]

With us it all depends on where we are going and how far we are going. For longer trips we usually have about a 1/4 of tank of fresh water because we usually boondock for the nights we stop on our way plus for that occasional pit stop. If we are going to a state park or rec area a couple hours from home we will usually fill the tank before we leave the house. That way I know I am getting good clean water. We stayed at one place not to far from home and decided to use their water and it had so much iron and rust in it that it plugged up the screens in the hose and plugged up the canister filter. We don't use any fresheners, we just sanitize with bleach and then rinse out the fresh water tank and lines with fresh water.

[johnnyrose]

I am fairly new to camping with water tanks of any kind, we recently stepped up from tent camping. We bought a "new to us" fifth wheel and I am worried about what is in the fresh water tank from the previous owner. I have read the manual and know the sanitizing method prescribed within. My question is; Does anyone have a better, or more efficient way of sanitizing the fresh tank? It seems like an awful long process to fill part way with bleach mix and drive around, empty, refill with fresh, empty, repeat until chlorine smell is gone, refill and consume. Thanks for the help!

[Ruffus]

We started RV camping in the 1980's. Just from experiance, and this is just me talking, I usaully keep my fresh water tank empty in storage but keep a gallon jug full for the toilet to keep the seal wet. Before a road trip I add a tablespoon of bleach to 20 gallons of water. It doesn't take much to kill any bacteria that could be lurking. We don't usaully drink the trailer water without running it through a Brita counter filter but I have on occasion and never taste the chorlrine in that amount. Like I said that is just my 2 cents worth but it has always worked for me even when traveling out of the country.

[RdRmr]

We travel with about one third or less of fresh water. Just enough to wash your hands and use the bathroom while on the road. We don't drink the tank water, bottled or filtered camp ground only.
Some rest stop facilities aren't very inviting, if you know what I mean. Also I sanitize and rinse the tank once a year. Have done this with two previous 5TH wheels over the years and so far so good. Have never used any water fresheners.
Happy Campin.

[SAD]

Water tank is always 100% full.

Weight is most irrelevant over 50 mph on something as un-aerodynamic as a travel trailer or 5th wheel.

Take what you need/want and don't worry about the (nonexistent) impact to fuel economy.

[bartletts]

Originally Posted by SAD

Water tank is always 100% full.

Weight is most irrelevant over 50 mph on something as un-aerodynamic as a travel trailer or 5th wheel.

Take what you need/want and don't worry about the (nonexistent) impact to fuel economy.

The reason to run less than full is often more for tongue weight or stability. My tank is under my front bed so it puts most of the water weight on the tongue. That tends to make the whole rig porpoise a little bit on uneven roads because the mass is far away from the axles. Good shocks on the tow vehicle help, though.

[SAD]

Originally Posted by bartletts

The reason to run less than full is often more for tongue weight or stability. My tank is under my front bed so it puts most of the water weight on the tongue. That tends to make the whole rig porpoise a little bit on uneven roads because the mass is far away from the axles. Good shocks on the tow vehicle help, though.

I understand what you're saying. I had a 32' travel trailer that had a couch along the front wall - with water tank under the couch. Towing with it full made it ride better.

However many mention fuel economy. Fuel economy is not a reason to choose to pull full or empty. Choose because of how you use it... Or as you pointed out, how it impacts the balance of the load.

[chris199]

We are new to Travel Trailer life but have embraced it with vigor. We have camped often and have yet to use the fresh water tank. We do wook with the campground water but generally it is boiled. We use campground water for dishes, showers, and brushing teeth etc. Thought about sanitizing the system but why...we never use it.

[bartletts]

It's nice to have at least some in there to flush the toilet with if you stop while traveling. You should also exercise the water pump once in a while even if you hardly ever use it. You should also sanitize it, because if you fire up the pump it will pump whatever is in the tank into your lines.

[Philip Saran]

Originally Posted by johnnyrose

I am fairly new to camping with water tanks of any kind, we recently stepped up from tent camping. We bought a "new to us" fifth wheel and I am worried about what is in the fresh water tank from the previous owner. I have read the manual and know the sanitizing method prescribed within. My question is; Does anyone have a better, or more efficient way of sanitizing the fresh tank? It seems like an awful long process to fill part way with bleach mix and drive around, empty, refill with fresh, empty, repeat until chlorine smell is gone, refill and consume. Thanks for the help!

You should go through this process at the beginning of each season
of camping, particularly with a "new to you" rig.

On most rigs there is a drain for the fresh water tank to empty it.